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‘IGOR’ heads to DVD & Blu-ray

November 20, 2008 / / 0 Comments

In a land of mad scientists and diabolical inventions, one lowly lab assistant has a chance to achieve his dreams in IGOR, debuting on DVD and Blu-ray Disc January 20th from MGM Home Entertainment. IGOR features an ensemble voice cast including John Cusack, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Jay Leno, Jennifer Coolidge, Christian Slater, Molly Shannon, Eddie Izzard and Arsenio Hall.

Synopsis: Determined to prove he can create his own diabolical invention, a mad scientist’s nice-guy assistant, Igor, creates a female Franken-monster. But his creation, Eva, is sweet and sings show tunes! That is, until she falls into the clutches of Dr. Schadenfreude and his shape-shifting girlfriend. Now it’s up to Igor and his sidekicks to save Eva – and their country – from real evildoers, including sneaky Prince Malpert.

The IGOR Blu-ray Disc is presented in widescreen and features an alternate opening scene and commentary by Director Tony Leondis, writer Chris McKenna and producer Max Howard.

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‘Beauty and the Beast’ set for 3D debut in 2010

November 20, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Walt Disney Studios is hard at work on re-rendering their classic “Beauty and the Beast” for a Disney Digital 3D theatrical release in 2010. The announcement was made at 3DX: 3D Film and Entertainment Technology Festival by Mark Zoradi, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group.

The creation of a 3D version of will be handled entirely in-house at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and will utilize proprietary software, along with the latest techniques and advances in 3D technology. Overseeing the project will be the film’s original team of filmmakers — producer Don Hahn, and directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. The re-rendering is expected to take about nine months to complete, and will require a frame-by-frame analysis of the film’s original computer files in order to create new images for each eye.

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‘Mary and Max’ claymation film to open 2009 Sundance Film Festival

November 20, 2008 / / 0 Comments

According to the Salt Lake City Tribune, MARY AND MAX, a claymation film, is set to open the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The film, from Australian animator Adam Elliot, will play January 15 at Park City, Utah’s Eccles Center Theatre.

Mary and Max is a tale of a pen-pal friendship between two very different people: Mary Dinkle is a chubby, lonely 8 year old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max Horovitz is a 44 year old, severely obese Jewish man with Asperger’s Syndrome living in the chaos of New York.

The film will be narrated by Australian actor Barry Humphries, who previously voiced Bruce the Shark in Pixar’s Finding Nemo.

Elliot’s HARVIE KRUMPET played at Sundance in 2004 and won the Oscar that year for Best Animated Short. MARY AND MAX is based on Elliot’s real-life pen-pal relationship over the last 20 years.

Mary and Max is set for a theatrical release in April 2009.

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‘Wonder Woman’ DVD info and artwork

November 17, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new animated original movie Wonder Woman on March 3, 2009, distributed by Warner Home Video. Wonder Woman will be available as a Single Disc DVD, 2 Disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The animated original movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, March 3, 2009.

Produced by the multiple Emmy Award winning animation legend Bruce Timm, Wonder Woman is an origin story and features a celebrity voice cast including Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Alfred Molina, Virginia Madsen, Rosario Dawson, Oliver Platt and David McCallum.

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‘Happy Feet 2’ to be made in new Sydney facility

November 17, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Australian newspaper The Age reports that ‘Happy Feet 2’ will be made entirely in Sydney, Australia in a new digital production facility that will employ an average of 438 people over three years, including some 230 computer-generated imaging artists.

The new digital production facility is expected to boost to the local movie industry, which has been criticised for a lack of investment in recent years.

Director George Miller praised the government’s assistance package and the Dr D facility, which has already attracted a number of big budget film projects in the pre-production stage.

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Guillermo Del Toro working on stop-motion ‘Pinocchio’ movie

November 17, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Geeks worldwide cried tears of joy as the news broke that Guillermo del Toro and the Jim Henson Co. are developing a stop-motion PINOCCHIO feature with a darker tone.

Del Toro spilled the beans to the fine folks over at Bloody Disgusting, revealing that he was working on the script with Gris Grimly, illustrator on 2002’s PINOCCHIO.

Del Toro is incredible busy, working on the highly-anticipated HOBBIT movie which will actually be spread out over two movies and will take about five years of his time. He is directing and co-writing along with the Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

As if that wasn’t enough, Del Toro is also working on remakes of FRANKENSTEIN, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE as well as an adaptation of Dan Simmons’ DROOD.

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Marvel developing animated ‘Thor’ series

November 14, 2008 / / 0 Comments

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel is currently developing an animated THOR series, set to launch in Fall 2010 after the live-action film opens in theaters.

The series will follow Thor, the Norse god of thunder, as he defends his mythical home of Asgard. Many of the comic’s supporting cast will make an appearance — Balder the Brave, the Warriors Three and Thor’s evil adopted brother Loki.

Eric Rollman, Marvel’s president of animation, said Marvel plans to follow each live-action movie with an animated series. Marvel is already in production on ‘The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,’ scheduled for release in 2011, in time for the theatrical release of ‘The First Avenger: Captain America’ and ‘The Avengers.’

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Steve Carell stars in ‘Despicable Me’

November 14, 2008 / / 0 Comments

The fine folks over at Variety are reporting that Steve Carell will voice the title character in “Despicable Me,” a 3-D CG-animated film scheduled to be released in 2010.

Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Russell Brand, Jemaine Clement, Jack McBrayer and Julie Andrews will also provide voice wor for other characters.

Carell’s plays a man named Groo, who plots to steal the moon. Unfortunately for him there are three problems in his way — a trio of orphan girls who temporarily come under his care and won’t leave.

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A look at ‘Coraline,’ a new stop-motion animated movie

November 12, 2008 / / 0 Comments

From Henry Selick, director of ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas,’ and based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling book, comes the first stop-motion animated feature filmed in 3D.

Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door and discovers an alternate version of her life on the other side. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life and the people in it – only much better. But when this seemingly perfect world turns dangerous, and her other parents (including her Other Mother voiced by Teri Hatcher) try to trap her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to escape this increasingly perilous world – and save her family.

Release date: February 2009

Check out the following five featurettes:

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14 animated films submitted for Oscar consideration

November 11, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Fourteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 81st Academy Awards.

The 14 submitted features are:
“Bolt”
“Delgo”
“Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”
“Dragon Hunters”
“Fly Me to the Moon”
“Igor”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”
“$9.99”
“The Sky Crawlers”
“Sword of the Stranger”
“The Tale of Despereaux”
“WALL-E”
“Waltz with Bashir”

“Bolt,” “Delgo,” “Dragon Hunters,” “$9.99,” “The Sky Crawlers,” “The Tale of Despereaux” and “Waltz with Bashir” have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and meet all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.

Under the rules for this category, a maximum of 3 films can be nominated in a year in which the field of eligible entries numbers at least 8 but fewer than 16.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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